The Voyage of St. Brendan

St. Brendan (ca. 484-577) was one of the most famous of the Celtic pilgrims, renowned not only for the piety of his life and for founding several monasteries in Ireland, but also for his amazing voyages west over the open seas in one of these small boats which were (and still are) called coracles. It is certain that on his longest voyage he and his fellow monks made it as far west as Newfoundland, and there is good reason to believe that he even made it farther south on the North American continent. The written account of his journey, "The Voyage of St. Brendan", became a 'best-seller' for a thousand years as sort of a combination of adventure story and devotional writing. He is considered to be a patron saint of pilgrims and his feast day is May 16. At times, St. Brendan, out on a small boat at seas with his fellow monk, would direct them to pull in the rudder and just let the wind take them where they should go. He said, "Is not God the pilot and sailor of our boats? Leave it to him… he himself guides our journey as he will."

Peregrenatio, the spiritual discipline of pilgrimage, stands as one of the most enduring legacies of the Celtic Christian tradition. Ian Bradley writes in The Celtic Way, "Peregrenatio was the outward symbol of an inner change, a metaphor and a symbol for that journey towards deeper faith and greater holiness and that journey towards God which is the Christian life."

But this journey also had a profoundly outward element. Indeed, in the second half of the first millennium much of northern Europe was evangelized because of these simple, wandering saints who carried little but a Bible and a staff. They were the first to carry the gospel message to N. Europe and founded monasteries in Scotland, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and down into Italy.

Soundings Seminars

‘Soundings’-An Irregular Seminar Series

Offered by Coracle and partners

The “Soundings” seminar series are times set aside to consider together topics that are important for our society, for the Church, and for our own spiritual journeys. To ‘take a sounding’ is a nautical term about using depth to determine where you are and where you’re going. These seminars are designed to do just that. Most of them are held in northern Virginia.

Soundings we have held in the past have included:

“Catholics and Evangelicals Together” with Bill Haley & Soren Johnson, in partnership with the John Paul II Fellowship

Evangelicals have so much to learn from Catholics, and Catholics have so much to learn from Evangelicals. Our traditions not only enrich each other, they need each other. We need each other. Jesus prayed in for unity in his body (John 17), and we are called to something greater. We will explore various aspects of each Christian tradition that the other will benefit from and explore why greater Christian unity matters today in the United States. Offered in partnership with The John Paul II Fellowship.

“Saved for What: The Breadth of the Gospel” with Bill Haley & Soren Johnson, in partnership with the John Paul II Fellowship

Being forgiven for our sins by the blood of Jesus so that we might be saved is an essential part of the Gospel, but it is not the only part of the Gospel, nor even it’s central assertion. There is so much more that we’ve been saved for, and an over-emphasis on some parts of the Gospel means we might miss even more compelling parts, which can lead to less-than-alive faith and life. We will explore the breadth of the Gospel, and why the good news really is good news!

“Towards Peace in the Holy Land” led by Bill Haley and Todd Deatherage, with The Telos Group

How can Christians in America approach the complexity of Israel/Palestine wisely, prayerfully, Christianly, and in a way that actually makes for peace? How does one pursue paths forward that are pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, pro-American, and pro- peace?

Ferguson, Charlotte, Cleveland, Charleston, Minneapolis, Dallas, Baltimore, and so many other places across the United States have seen profound and painful conflicts and tensions around issues of race and justice in the past two years.Lives have been lost, trust has been destroyed, fear has emerged anew.And now more disturbing incidents involving racial difference and diversity are on the rise. This particular seminar is offered in order to explore and understand contemporary issues regarding race in America and a distinctly Christian response. We’re doing this together as members of Micah Group sponsored by Fuller Seminary that met together for two years discussing the intersection of worship, justice, and preaching.

What does it look like to live as disciples of Jesus in a very divisive time? Why did Jesus say “blessed are the peacemakers”? We discuss why Jesus asked us to be peacemakers in the world, and why it matters that He came into the mess. We’ll have time for discussion around the topic of peacemaking in today’s world and the different ways that can be practiced and applied to a wide range of situations. While conflict roils around our world…and our country is as divided as its been in a long time…and racial tensions still boil…and each of us have broken or challenging relationships in our own lives…the call to the spiritual discipline and Kingdom action of peacemaking couldn’t be more timely.